#also not me writing in the fact that this is a deco pizza and i can't show them eating it

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

august 25, 2021 8:00 p.m. the black pearl

[grant] well, i know it doesn’t fix the existential angst and you shouldn’t ever feel like it needs to go away instantly, but i guarantee you will be a good dad.

[grant] any kids you have will feel loved. they’ll be set up for the future no matter how everyone’s lives play out. i know you’ll do your best, and i know soobin will, too. you guys have worked so hard to have such a long and healthy and sincere relationship.

[grant] and the fact that you’re worried about any of this means you’re going to do a good job. shitty parents and shitty partners don’t ask if what they’re doing or about to do is wrong.

[grant] everyone is going to make mistakes sometimes but it’s about getting most of it right, and i believe you will. soobin doesn’t hold it over your head that for a while, your fear made you a little controlling. you improved and she forgave you. you’re smart, you’ll adapt, and most of all, you should know you’re loyal. at the end of the day, a parent who puts their kids first and never turns their back on them is the best parent in the world in my eyes.

[grant] mistakes can be forgiven if you put your kids first and treat them like a human being who matters.

[henry] thank you. i appreciate it. that means a lot coming from you.

[grant] and i understand your main fear in the first place. i've thought about it many times. i never worried about myself dying but others dying. elizabeth, uh...yeah. those big family losses seriously will ruin you forever in one way or another. the way you lost your father only makes it worse. it does strip away any feeling of invincibility you have.

[henry] you can say that again.

[henry] i'm glad someone understands.

[grant] you can never really know, i guess, what’s going to happen to you or to anyone you know, and it’s not helpful to say it’ll be fine because we all know crazy and terrible things happen. it's unfortunately mathematically true. but trust me, i'll kill you if you die!

[henry] you’ll kill me if i die? haha.

[henry] thanks for making me laugh, too.

[grant] yep. i will re-kill your ghost.

[henry] i'll kill you if you die.

[grant] thank you, buddy! you’re a real one.

[henry] dude, ugh, i googled life insurance policies a month ago. ew, adulthood.

[grant] life insurance is a good thing to have, though.

[henry] it is, it is. even if my hypothetical kids just buy a fucking pool with the money.

[grant] i mean, if it benefits them, right?

[henry] let me add a note to the policy saying you can either get an in-ground pool put in or free college tuition–one or the other.

[grant] does that include getting a sick ass waterfall feature installed on the pool or no?

[henry] by the way–

[henry] disclaimer that this is just an idea, not concrete at all, but soobin and i briefly mentioned moving back to korea as a way to make sure our kids have a good life.

[grant] wow, really? it is worth thinking about! it is rational. most of your family is here and all of soobin’s family does live here, and you do have to consider what’s best for you and your family, current and future. before i did move back home, when i was with you know who, i thought about this, too, if we ever had kids that maybe we could or should move back to michigan so they'd have my whole family around.

[grant] and just so it’s on the record, you have my full support in any decision here.

[grant] are you interested in moving back?

[henry] i don’t know. i haven’t lived here since i was five years old. i've only visited, and then came back for one year to do the military service because i was wary of giving up my citizenship. but i almost did because truly, i did not want to go into the army. that shit sucked.

[grant] what does soobin think?

[henry] well, it was her idea. i'm very whatever about wherever i live. i feel no strong pull one way or another at the moment. but it’s different for her.

[henry] she lived here much longer than me. she cares much more and has a preference. i mean, she spent pretty much her entire life here except since college and during the school semesters between sixth and twelfth grades because her parents sent her to a fancy private school there.

[henry] i will say, soobin’s main point isn’t wrong, and it's the one you brought up. most of our family is here. it’s like you and michigan. that’s where your folks are. and that support is invaluable when you have kids, both for their social development and for financial reasons. plus, my mom actually wants to move back. she never talks about it, but i know she does.

[grant] i get that, too.

[henry] like i said, she’s just never been the same since my dad died. which i don't fault her for. she does her best to be happy, you know, but i think she feels very alone, even more now that i don’t live on the upper peninsula anymore. she was with him forever. they were soulmates. and her life drastically changed after he died.

[henry] this has been the first time she's had a job since, god, the 1980s. she loves being an art teacher for school kids, but that's a huge change in addition to the sudden loneliness.

[henry] and on the loneliness side, she has your family and they've been close for a long time.

[grant] she was literally over at my aunt bridie's house the other day making shampoo with her.

[henry] yeah, so she sees them pretty often and she also has her book club and some other friends, but she knows way more people here. seoul's where all her family and friends are.

[henry] i want my mom to be happy, you know? it’s my job as her son, and i'm the only child she ever had. she doesn’t need me to look after her every day, not really, but i want to and she deserves that. and truth be told, a part of me believes that if she comes back, i would feel not very good about being away from her.

[henry] i think that if i encourage her to come back or talk to her about it and she does go through with it, that would sway me more to soobin’s side. again, i want my mom to be happy, and i'm also scared of losing her. it doesn’t matter if it’s sudden or slow. i don’t want to lose her, and especially not if i feel like i've spent my whole adult life away from her, not prioritizing what time is left with her.

[henry] not to be morbid, but she’s almost 60. at some point you do ask yourself how much longer you have left with your older family members around. life is unfortunately very short.

[grant] of course. that’s totally understandable. she's a great mother, and you wouldn't want to miss out on that. and i'm sure you don’t want your kids to not have their grandma present in their lives.

[henry] but then i have to start over with my job and maybe i lose contact with my friends if i leave. i do have friends here–sorry, they weren’t able to come hang out this time, maybe next time–but my real two best friends are in michigan. it’s you and ben. i don't let anyone else get that close to me except for soobin because to me, my best friend slots are full. i don't want anyone else. no one else is worth it.

[henry] and i always said you’d be my kids’ godfather. i don’t want them to miss out on knowing you the way they should.

[grant] there’s facetime! and i'd come visit. and i'm so goddamn annoying, i will be texting you about everything i think about in the world for the rest of our lives. you're not going to lose me.

[henry] i try my best to believe i won't lose you.

[grant] also, don’t stress out too much about this yet. you do not have to make any of these decisions now, and when you do need to, the right answers will come to you.

[grant] and listen, one last thing and then i'll shut up. i don’t know how, i don’t know why–i don’t think there is an answer to this–but the people we lose are still with us, even if only in spirit. i am famously a skeptic, but i felt something this year that changed my mind. i know you miss your dad but he’s still with you. somehow he’ll see your kids grow up, and he’ll be there guiding you to make the right decisions.

[grant] your dad loved you, like, beyond what words can express. he loved your mom just as much. he would never willingly leave you. if there's something after this mortal existence, he's still with you.

[grant] oh, and we should probably eat this pizza before it's frigid.

[henry] fuck, i forgot about it. thanks for reminding me. yeah, let's demolish this pizza, and then i'll take you to that cool arcade i told you about. we'll make up for the awful arcade experience at your cousin's bachelor party.

#ts4 #the sims 4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #sims 4 storytelling #simblr #hlcn: everything the stars promised #PARALLELS I LOVE PARELLELS *stares at the aoife subplot that we started in the last batch update* #also not me writing in the fact that this is a deco pizza and i can't show them eating it #well maybe with poses but y'all know i hate posing sims no really just posing them in the chairs without accessories was enough #also just bc the scene was a long time ago... #when grant says something changed his mind he's talking about his sister's birthday and visiting her grave - that scene #holocene.png #holocene.docx #hlcn: grant #hlcn: henry

[danishmuseuminterns]

Welcome to the Land of Lincoln

By Anders Tornsø Jørgensen

These past two weekends led me to the great state of Illinois. This post will be a bit nostalgic to write. Illinois was my first home state in the United States back when I was an exchange student in 2019 at the University of Illinois in Springfield. Also, Illinois was my first meeting with the Midwest and its wonderful people and endless yellow sea of cornfields. My experiences as an exchange student stirred me in a direction, that I probably wouldn’t have gone if I had stayed home. As with my internship here at the Museum of Danish America, I lived together with American students and explored and experienced American culture in a way that’s only possible when you actually live in the country. Exchange stays and internships provides individuals with opportunities that could impact a lifetime. That’s why I am so grateful for the opportunities provided by the American-Scandinavian Foundation and the Museum of Danish America.

The first weekend to Illinois went to Chicago where I was going to represent the museum at the 42nd Scandinavian Day Festival in nearby Vasa Park, South Elgin, IL. Leaving Elk Horn early Friday morning, we made it to Chicago where I spend most of the afternoon exploring the city. Chicago is one of my favorite American cities. When I arrived as an exchange student, I decided to stay in Chicago for a few days before I took the Amtrak to Springfield, the capital of Illinois, where I was going to study. That time was simply magical: I was 21 and had three days alone in one of the most wonderful cities on Earth. So, it was really great to be back in Chicago after so many years. And I can truly confirm, that the city is still a magic place filled with intense vitality and energy.

Chicago, with a population of 2,746,388 in 2020 (metropolitan limits 9,618,502) is the most populous city in the American Midwest. This goliath of the Midwest is the railway center of America and home to the world’s first skyscraper. This city has produced so many architectural wonders from the works of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham to Frank Lloyd Wright, just to mention a few. Chicago boasts buildings such as the Carbide & Carbon Building with its golden top and green-tinted terracotta façade, the Chicago Board of Trade Building with a thirty-one-foot statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, that sits on top of the building, and of course Chicago’s amazing Union Station with its gorgeous Great Hall, where you wait for your train.

It is above all the span of Chicago that is so outstanding. In fact, Chicago has spread out to become a kind of city state with parts of Wisconsin, Indiana and even Michigan.

The downtown area of Chicago, the Loop, is still bound by elevated tracks, which gives it an old-school feeling. The Loop is also home to the world-class Art Institute of Chicago. If you have ever watched John Hughes’ 1986 film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” then you may remember an iconic scene where the three main characters visit this wonderful place. My all-time favorite piece of art at this place is “Nighthawks” by Edward Hooper – for me, it’s a uniquely American painting. The Loop is also home to various landmark theatres such as the Chicago Theatre and Cadillac Palace Theatre, whose marquees and neon signs are stunning, especially during nighttime. The whole Loop area is surrounded by a system of canals and rivers that runs into the mighty Lake Michigan. The combination of water, an overload of Art Deco buildings, and the magnificent Grant Park with its iconic Buckingham Fountain and the mysterious Bean is perhaps the reason why Chicago is like no other city ever witnessed by the eyes of man. When I am in Chicago, I always go to the Adler Planetarium. Unfortunately, not due to an interest in astronomy, but because it provides the best view of the skyline along with Lake Michigan.

As home to the Chicago-style pizza and Chicago-style hot dog, the city is a center of culinary wonders that I always love to explore whenever I have the chance. My favorite pizza place in Chicago is definitely Pizzeria Uno, who claims to have invented the Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. However, this is a matter of controversial debate among Chicagoans.

Chicago is also President Barack Obama’s hometown, and I ended up visiting Valois Restaurant in Hyde Park, which was Obama’s favorite breakfast spot. Also, the Obama Presidential Center will be located in Jackson Park, which is located on Chicago’s South Side. Jackson Park is perhaps one of the most important parks in Chicago. It was originally designed in 1871, but then completely remodeled in 1893 to serve as the site of the World's Columbian Exposition. Some features still bring that historic world’s fair to live, including a one-third scale replica of ‘The Republic’ and the Museum of Science and Industry, which was known as the Palace of Fine Arts during the world fair.

Next to architecture, what Chicago is best known for is, of course, crime. As home to the notable gangster icon Al Capone, Chicago is still associated with the Mafia. One of my favorite movies, Brian De Palma’s 1987 “The Untouchables,” takes place in Chicago during the Prohibition Era, and it’s always funny to walk around Chicago and find the filming spots for this film. It is estimated that Al Capone and his Chicago Outfit earned around 100 million dollars a year, more than $1 billion when adjusted for inflation. This made the Chicago Outfit able to bribe and control the police, the courts, and above all the political machines that dominated Chicago. The era when they ruled the city is gone forever, but if you wish to go on a trip down memory lane, then you can visit the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. Here visitors can sit in the same booth once frequented by Capone himself.

Baseball is often called ‘America’s Pastime,’ and I have never really watched any sports game nor been to a big sports stadium in the United States, so I ended up going to a baseball game at historic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. I loved singing the national anthem, but also “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch of the game. It was lovely to see the deeply devoted fans, who sang along, and I also happened to grab a Chicago-style hotdog and a pretzel with cheese. Furthermore, a person proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes – it was just like you see on television! It was a wonderfull experience tven though the Cubs lost to San Francisco Giants.

Most of my Sunday took place in Vasa Park, South Elgin, where I attended the 42nd Scandinavian Day Festival. Unfortunately, the weather was against us with heavy showers, but rain or shine, we were standing strong. I enjoyed watching traditional Scandinavian folk dance, talking with friends of the museum, and of course I ate my way across the Scandinavian kitchen with freshly made æbleskiver covered in powdered sugar, crêpes-style pancakes with lingonberry, and a traditional Danish hotdog as was it served at a pølsevogn. I had a Dane good time at the Scandinavian Day Festival!

Next weekend bought me to Springfield, Illinois, where I studied in 2019. The Chicago area is overwhelming Democratic and rural Illinois is just as overwhelmingly Republican, so it always felt like two very different worlds when you leave Chicago.

My brother and mother happened to visit me, so I planned to show them both Elk Horn and Springfield as part of their trip to the United States thereby giving them a good healthy amount of Midwestern culture. After having seen where I work each day and having been introduced to my sweet colleagues, we went on a six-hour drive to Springfield. They were pretty surprised to see the endless yellow sea of corn, that continues out of Iowa and into Illinois. Our route took us pretty much across the heart of America’s Corn Belt.

Springfield is a very interesting city: It is the capital of Illinois, the home city of Abraham Lincoln, and situated along legendary Route 66. Two of my favorite Abraham Lincoln-related places is of course his presidential library and museum, one of the finest in the nation, and the majestic Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is home to two top-notch theatric productions that tells about Lincoln’s life and times. Furthermore, the museum contains models of Lincoln's boyhood home, areas of the White House, along with various scenes from Lincoln’s life. My favorite component was the ‘Campaign of 1860,’ which features journalist Tim Russert, who presents the four-way presidential campaign of 1860 in a modern media setting. I always liked presidential libraries because they promote understanding of the presidency, but also of American history - some more successfully than others. Abraham Lincoln, next to George Washington, is one of those American icons than continue to inspire across the globe.

Even today, Lincoln’s pro-democracy, anti-slavery legacy is important, as authoritarian forces from abroad, but also within, is on the rise. Democracy as a national way of life is deeply imbedded in this nation’s fabric, and if the American experiment is to endure, we must now, as never before in history, act and define our age – as Lincoln did in the 1860s.

Despite history lessons, Springfield is also home to lighthearted slices of Americana. As such, Springfield is where my favorite American dish, the Horseshoe Sandwich, actually originated. It’s an open-faced sandwich, consisting of thick-slicked toasted bread, usually a hamburger patty, and French fries – all smothered in a cheese sauce. Legend has it that in 1928 the first horseshoe sandwich was made by a 17-year old dishwasher at the Leland Hotel in Springfield. I introduced my family to this peculiar tradition, and surprisingly, they also liked it.

I also happened to meet up with a lot of old friends from my time as an exchange student which was really nice. And it made me so proud to see how great they greeted my family. Whenever I am in the United States, I always try to stop in Springfield. It’s one of those places that shaped me a lot. To quote our friend Honest Abe: “To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.”

[monsterhospital]

17 questions!!

i was tagged by @scifitoad​ tagged me thanks man!!

rules: answer 17 questions and tag 17 people you want to know better.

1. nickname: i was called celery more than my real name in middle school and it is still in use by the people who knew me back then. friends call me c or cel from time to time, my grandpa calls me celie and my dad calls me dot. my mom calls me monkey brains or princess.

2. zodiac sign: pisces 

3. height: 5′8, other notable people of this height are ice cube, kaitlin olson, jeremy renner of the jeremy renner app, booboo stewart, pope paul VI, maya hawke, fiona shaw, and barry from the goldbergs

4. hogwarts house: i don’t know what a hogwarts is

5. last thing i googled: ‘celebrities who are 5′8′

6. favorite musicians: according to spotify, my top artists are walk the moon, regina spektor, mitski, janelle monae, fall out boy, covet, mika and greta isaac 

7. song stuck in my head: can’t stand the rain by the rescues 

8. following: 355 and i gotta do a cleanout soon

9. followers: 237

10. amount of sleep i get: i aim for 8 hours on school nights but i sometimes stay up later than i should

11. lucky numbers: 13, 3, 4

12. dream job: whatever the fuck rcg doing looks like fun, i’d also like to flip houses or write books full time

13. wearing: oversized pink sweater and american eagle curvy jeans god bless

14. favorite songs: according to spotify, evelyn-kim tillman, death-white lies, origin of love-mika, strawberry blond-mitski, and you-greta isaac

15. instruments: i play the piano though i can’t read music, i also play the acoustic guitar and ukulele and am planning at some point to spend way too much money on a custom made electric tenor guitar because they don’t sell those anywhere and i need one so bad it hurts. i also sing.

16. random facts: i think i’m allergic to tomatoes and its cramping my style because the only good food in my college food halls is pizza.

17. aesthetic: squiggly lines, leaves, bold colors, blocky, art deco, art deco, art deco, hands, hands, hands, neon signs, surreal things, surreal stories, things that shouldn’t work together but do, cowboys, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, vintage furniture, very expensive and very tacky clothes. 

i do not know 17 people i don’t think, but i will try!

@dacergirl369 @onixn @that-one-kid-i-dont-like @julianatheis @blakedbread @ambientwitch okay thats all the people i know irl, now here are some people who have liked and reblogged my shit recently: @dumbest-ass @machinesthink @triptomarshall @dykesword @laughingfish @babybluestripedsocks

#ABOUT MEEEEE

[whyilovetoronto]

Why I Love Oretta: Pretty in millennial pink

The time Sara Waxman predicted Italian food

I interviewed the iconic Sara Waxman for The Drake Hotel’s blog. During our conversation, she told me a story about the evolution of Toronto’s food scene and spoke about the emergence of Italian restaurants, courtesy of Franco Prevedello, and the debut of pasta.

Today, Italian cuisine and restaurants thrive in the city. Most recently, a new establishment entered the scene becoming an influencer, Instagram and Toronto hot spot in less than a month.

About an hour…

If you translate Oretta it means “about an hour,” but the only thing you’ll be waiting about an hour for is a table if you don’t have reservations. Otherwise the food comes promptly and service is top notch.

Located in the 629 King Residences complex, Oretta is owned by Capocaccia’s Salvatore Mele. The restaurant is truly a visual and aesthetically pleasing surprise. Personally, I find glass structures to be void of beauty and therefore my expectations for Oretta’s interior were not high. However, the restaurant proves you can create a beautiful space with character in a seemingly uniform glass structure. With swopping arches, the restaurant beckons to elements found in our disappearing heritage buildings.

(Courtesy of @aimeesyl)

Not to mention Oretta’s art deco décor is something Daisy Buchanan would have fallen in love with in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In fact, looking at millennial pink and gold trim wall installation as well as the gold + black panelling gracing staircase and upper level levels, I instantly thought of opening sequence to Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

(Courtesy of Movies Man Guide)

I must also note the eye-catching chandelier above the bar. It reminded me of an abstract solar system model, but with cymbals and lightbulbs.

Mamma Mia! That’s some dinner gossip.

Lady Like Leopard and I were ready to try the menu upon arrival. We also had a lot to catch up on from work, friends, writing and our love life. We chatted over a drink, which was highly recommended by our super nice and clumsy bartender. It was an Amaretto based drink using egg whites and topped by an orgasmic tasting cherry. I wrote down the name, but as per usual my cursive proved to be indecipherable the next day and there is no drink menu online. 

For dinner I ordered the Parmigiana (cherry tomato, fior die latte, eggplant, sausage, Parmigiano, basil) from the Pizze Bianche section, while Lady Like Leopard ordered the Risotto al Satto (crispy pan fried squash risotto, mushrooms and castelmango fonduta) from the Paste section. The food was well portioned and absolutely delicious. The pizza is by far one of my favourites in the city and dare I say better than that of Pizza Libretto?

Sadly, we were too full to try dessert in the end, but all the more reason to return.  Not to mention we have to go back to try Oretta’s lovely café.

| Oretta Instagram |

#Pizza #Italian #Oretta #Toronto #FoodPorn

[theroyalmile]

A story in which I do not act like an adult at all because doing normal things is sometimes hard

I told myself I was going to write a blog once a month.  That seems like a minor commitment, right?  But, like, I didn’t even make a new years resolution about it, so how serious can I really be?

I’m currently working on another blog post, that I’ve been writing and re-writing since last summer.  Fun fact, it’s about one time when a stranger told me I was fat.  Actually he said “too fat,” and he also said it in Chinese, which is somehow worse, but also better?  But because I can’t seem to pull it together on that particular thematic riff, the post is going to have to wait.  It’s one of those things where you think about something so much that it becomes far easier not to do, than to do.  Note to future employers: this is not a good example of my work ethic.  Note to almost every guy I’ve ever met on Tinder:  this is a good example of why I’m not texting you back.

So, instead, I’m going to talk about something else that’s been on my mind a lot recently: my window.  Let me backtrack by saying, first, that my roommate and I are renewing our lease in Allston (!), which means we’re committing ourselves to this apartment (the previously described art-deco nightmare), until August 2018.  That looked weird just writing it.  And while there are many things I will be happy to have until August 2018, including Tash as a roommate, the 5 minute walk to the green line, the very fancy exposed brick in our stairwell, and my generously sized bedroom, to name a few, my current window situation is not one of them.

I’ll admit, off the bat, that this is mostly (read: all) my fault.  In the summer, because I am cheap asshole, I decided I was not going to get an air conditioner.  So instead, I took the glass panel out of my window and replaced it with a screen, to let the air in, at least in theory.  This only kind of helped me not die from heatstroke.    When December rolled around, I figured I should maybe put the glass panel back in because it was kind of cold and I didn’t like that.  If you are thinking that this is an easy thing that a normal person should be able to do with no problems, you are absolutely right.  

My first hint that I was not successful in Operation Do This Yourself You’re A Goddamn Adult (ODTYYAGA) was the faint cross-breeze wafting through my room at all hours.  But I figured, hey, that’s what electric blankets are for! My second hint was when, on a particularly windy night I was awakened by a very loud, very close bang-bang-bang.  This was not another shooting on the corner (which happened the first weekend we moved in), but it was, in fact, the glass window panel being moved around by the wind, because some dumbass (me) put it in the wrong way.

Fast forward another three months, and I have not come up with a solution to this problem.  Duct tape was briefly considered.  I have been informed that this is not a great idea.  I am a light sleeper, so this is not a problem that can be easily ignored, and the banging is very loud.  However, I find hope in the fact that May is around the corner, and soon I can take the glass panel out and put the screen back in, since I will likely be not buying an air conditioner, because learning from your mistakes is for squares.

Between now and May, if anyone feels they can rectify the window situation for me, I can’t pay you, but I will buy you a pizza.  It has occurred to me that I could get my landlord to do this, but doing things the easy way is also for squares.  Also I would have nothing to blog about, and then where would we be?

Exhibit A: I dug this out by myself.  I am not a total disaster.

#i refuse to tag this adulting #because that's not a thing #this story is embarassing #i am an adult #i promise